Dro. S. It seems, thou wantest breaking; Out upon thee, hind! Dro. E. Here's too much, out upon thee! I pray thee, let me in. Dro. S. Ay, when fowls have no feathers, and fish have no fin. Ant. E. Well, I'll break in; Go, borrow me a crow. Dro. E. A crow without a feather; master, mean you so? For a fish without a fin, there's a fowl without a feather: Herein you war against your reputation, Once this ',-Your long experience of her wisdom, Plead on her part some cause to you unknown; And let us to the Tiger all to dinner: 3 Once this,] Once this, may mean, once for all, at once. 4 the doors are made against you.] To make the door is the expression used to this day in some counties of England, instead of to bar the door. ↑ "of it;"-MALONE. For slander lives upon succession; For ever hous'd, where it once gets possession †. For there's the house; that chain will I bestow Enter LUCIANA and ANTIPHOLUS of Syracuse. Luc. And may it be that you have quite forgot A husband's office? shall, Antipholus †, hate, Even in the spring of love, thy love-springs rot? Shall love, in building, grow so ruinate? "where it gets possession." MALONE. And, in despight of mirth,] Though mirth has withdrawn herself from me, and seems determined to avoid me, yet in despight of her, and whether she will or not, I am resolved to be merry. Even in the spring of love, thy love-springs rot? Shall love, in building, grow so ruinous?"—Malone. C If you did wed my sister for her wealth, Then, for her wealth's sake, use her with more kindness: Or, if you like elsewhere, do it by stealth; Muffle your false love with some show of blindness: Be not thy tongue thy own shame's orator; Bear a fair presence, though your heart be tainted; Being compact of credit, that you love us; Comfort my sister, cheer her, call her wife : When the sweet breath of flattery conquers strife. Ant. S. Sweet mistress, (what your name is else, I know not, Nor by what wonder you do hit on mine,) Less, in your knowledge, and your grace, you show not, Smother'd in errors, feeble, shallow, weak, The folded meaning of your word's deceit. • Being compact of credit,] Means, being made altogether of credulity. 7 vain,] Is light of tongue, not veracious. JOHNSON. Against my soul's pure truth why labour you, Are you a god? would you create me new? Transform me then, and to your power I'll yield. But if that I am I, then well I know, Your weeping sister is no wife of mine, Far more, far more, to you do I decline. Spread o'er the silver waves thy golden hairs, And, in that glorious supposition, think He gains by death, that hath such means to die :Let love, being light, be drowned if she sink! Luc. What, are you mad, that you do reason so ? Ant. S. Not mad, but mated'; how, I do not know. Luc. It is a fault that springeth from your eye. Ant. S. For gazing on your beams, fair sun, being by. Luc. Gaze where you should, and that will clear your sight. Ant. S. As good to wink, sweet love, as look on night. Luc. Ant. S. That's my sister. No; It is thyself, mine own self's better part; Mine eye's clear eye, my dear heart's dearer heart; 8 sweet mermaid,] Mermaid is only another name for syren. "Not mad, but mated;] I suspect there is a play upon words intended here. Mated signifies not only confounded, but matched with a wife and Antipholus, who had been challenged as a husband by Adriana, which he cannot account for, uses the word mated in both these senses. M. MASON. : 1 My sole earth's heaven, and my heaven's claim.] When he VOL. IV. D Luc. All this my sister is, or else should be. Thou hast no husband yet, nor I no wife: Luc.. O, soft, sir, hold you still; [Exit Luc. Enter from the House of ANTIPHOLUS of Ephesus, Ant. S. Why, how now, Dromio? where run'st thou so fast? Dro. S. Do you know me, sir? am I Dromio? am I your man? am I myself? Ant. S. Thou art Dromio, thou art my man, thou art thyself. Dro. S. I am an ass, I am a woman's man, and besides myself. Ant. S. What woman's man? and how besides thyself? Dro. S. Marry, sir, besides myself, I am due to a woman; one that claims me, one that haunts me, one that will have me. Ant. S. What claim lays she to thee? Dro. S. Marry, sir, such claim as you would lay to your horse; and she would have me as a beast: not that, I being a beast, she would have me; but that she, being a very beastly creature, lays claim to me. Ant. S. What is she? Dro. S. A very reverent body; ay, such a one as a man may not speak of, without he say, sir-reverence +: I calls the girl his only heaven on the earth, he utters the common cant of lovers. When he calls her his heaven's claim, I cannot understand him. Perhaps he means that which he asks of heaven. JOHNSON. Mr. Malone thinks he means "all that I claim from heaven hereafter." + sir-reverence:] A corruption of save-reverence, salvareverentia. |